Since early in computing, a number of different methods have been used to show a user at one location the same screen being viewed at another location. Early time sharing systems in some cases allowed two different users at two different displays to connect to the same terminal input and output port and thus both effectively see and at times interact with the same screen. Prior to widespread use of the Internet, a number of programs (e.g., PCAnywhere™) allowed a PC user in New York, for example, to interact with a PC in Los Angeles as though the New York user were in Los Angeles. A specialized software component running on the New York computer would capture any user input events (e.g., keystrokes or mouse actions) and transmit them to a software component running on the Los Angeles computer for execution. Software on the Los Angeles computer would then generally send a screen capture back to the New York computer.
As networks and the Internet became more widely used, various Virtual Private Networking (VPN) systems were employed. These systems allowed a user at home, for example, to interact with his work office network as though he were there. In some VPN installations, a user at home can remotely logon to a specific computer at their work environment and interact with local and network files and applications in that work environment as though the person was at their work location. Again, in many instances, this type of VPN requires transmissions effectively of a “screen shot” between the two computers.
In the context of the World Wide Web, there has been growing interest in “co-browsing” using various technologies. “Co-browsing” generally involves two or more users at different computers viewing the same Internet content at the same time and may also allow two or more users to simultaneously interact with the same content at the same time.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,660,899, issued Feb. 9, 2010, discusses cobrowsing web sites by two or more users where a first client sends to a second client a synchronization message that indicates one or more commands reflecting the browsing performed by the first user. The second client receives the synchronization message, and cobrowses the web site in accordance with the message and its included commands. Cobrowsing can involve commands indicating location relative to a position within an element of the web page specified by a node identified in the document object model, wherein the location relative to the position is indicated as a percentage in each of the horizontal and vertical directions, the synchronization message sent from a first computing device having a first display with first display attributes to a second computing device having a second display with second display attributes different than the first display attributes.
These examples of the state of the art are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive.
The discussion of any work, publications, sales, or activity anywhere in this submission, including in any documents submitted with this application, shall not be taken as an admission that any such work constitutes prior art. The discussion of any activity, work, or publication herein is not an admission that such activity, work, or publication existed or was known in any particular jurisdiction.